Commander Report
03/17/2013
Alex Diaz
This is my third time at MDRS; I was part of NASA’s Spaceward Bound Crew 61 in 2007, and Crew 27 in 2004. I didn’t know what to expect this time around, but as I pulled up to the driveway to the habitat, I was again in awe of the beauty of this place. It is so inspiring and it makes you truly appreciate what we are doing here. So today was my first full day at MDRS; we woke up to a beautiful sunny day, and our Crew Engineer cooked some very good pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast, the crew gave me a very good and detailed debrief on all habitat operations and issues, and provided me an overview of their individual tasks. I was impressed, yet not surprised, by my crew’s ability to manage all MDRS operations during my absence in a timely and efficient manner. After the habitat overview, we sat down for a delicious lunch of rice, fried turkey, and salad. Using the projector that I brought, I showed the crew several presentations on projects I’m working on related to EVA emergency procedures; the crew was very engaged and asked several questions. We then proceeded to break up into two teams and started our workout session; three members went to the lower deck and three stayed on the upper deck. The rest of the day was spent planning for tomorrow’s EVAs. I have found my crew in great spirits and eager to start the EVA emergency simulations. Crew composition is of great importance for future human space missions, and I’m happy to report that my crew is getting along really well and working great together.
Alex Diaz